How to Tell if You Have Hard Water
You've probably heard the term "hard water" before. But did you know that you can have hard water in your home and not even know it? Although hard water doesn't cause health risks, it can be more than a minor nuisance to your home and appliances.
At General Heating & Air Conditioning in Shakopee, we help Twin Cities area homeowners manage their hard water with professional water softener installation services. Give us a call to learn more about professional water softener installation!
This post breaks down what you need to know to recognize a hard water problem.
What Is Hard Water?
Scientifically speaking, water hardness is caused by dissolved magnesium, lime, and calcium in your water. Essentially, hard water contains a high amount of these dissolved minerals. Hard water can be found throughout the United States but is more common in the Midwest and Southwest.
Unfortunately, hard water can challenge household cleaning and cause home maintenance problems if left unchecked.
These are just some of the problems hard water can cause:
Signs You May Have Hard Water
Although the damage caused by hard water can be significant, you may have already noticed some minor signs of a hard water problem.
Because they are subtle, the following signs can be easy to overlook:
Slimy Hands
The calcium in soap reacts with the calcium in hard water. This causes a film or residue on your hands after washing with soap and water, leaving them feeling slimy and less than clean.
Dry Skin
The calcium left on your skin can irritate and dry out your skin and leave your hair looking dull with an unpleasant build-up.
Dirty Dishes
Do you find yourself washing dishes again and again, but they keep coming out cloudy or spotty? Like the film on your hands, calcium in hard water leaves soap-scum residue on your dishes.
Coffee Maker Build-up
As hot water runs through your coffee maker, calcium carbonate deposits can build up in your machine. The only way to clean these scaly deposits is by occasionally running vinegar through your machine.
Dingy Laundry
If your laundry looks dingy rather than fresh and clean or has an unpleasant smell caused by hard water, no amount of laundry detergent will help. That's because the minerals in your water prevent your detergent from doing its job and capably removing stains.
Faucet Build-up
A common indicator of hard water is seen in mineral build-up around faucets. These lime deposits are most commonly seen where water has dried in place countless times, leaving white deposits behind.
Often found around drains and faucets, these crusty deposits are frustrating to clean and extremely difficult to remove, often requiring a special cleaner. Limescale in your pipes can also cause water to run slowly.
Soap Scum in Tub & Shower
The same film left on your laundry and dishes ends up all over your tub as an ugly, scummy ring that is difficult to remove from bathtubs and shower tiles. Like lime, it often requires a special cleaner to remove.
Toilet Stains
Nobody wants to use a dirty toilet, but if you have hard water, you may have given up on getting yours completely clean. Lime and mineral deposits can make your toilet look less than fresh, no matter how much you scrub it.
Appliance Problems
If mineral deposits are a nuisance to your laundry and dishes, they are downright damaging to the components of your appliances.
Any appliance that runs water through it will wear out much faster with hard water as mineral deposits stick to components and block water lines and drains. Hard water may be the culprit if you've had trouble with your dishwasher, water heater, or washing machine.
What's the Solution for Hard Water?
At General Heating & Air Conditioning, we can install water quality systems to improve your water smell and taste while managing your hard water so you don't have to worry about damaged or dirty appliances and faucets.
Softer water helps extend your appliances' lifespan and makes your home easier to clean.
The traditional solution to hard water is installing a water softener on a home's main water line. Traditional water softeners remove mineral ions from hard water, leaving sodium ions in their place. However, they require permanent installation and regular upkeep. At General Heating & Air Conditioning, we have a better solution.
With an Aqua Rex water conditioner, the system manipulates the mineral's behavior instead of eliminating them, leaving the minerals in the water without the build-up on surfaces. They also don't need additional maintenance and are portable, so you can take them with you wherever you choose.
The Aqua Rex system stops limescale from sticking to your faucets and appliances while breaking down the existing scale. Your laundry will lather better, and your dishes and clothing will get cleaner!
Remove the Hard Water Headache From Your Laundry
Better water quality doesn't just stop at water conditioners! If your clothes and laundry are affected by hard water, we have a solution called the Laundry Pro 2.0. It's an innovative water quality system that can transform your washing experience.
Traditional detergent is made with chemicals like phosphates, dry transfer inhibitors, and perfumes, all of which can end up in your local water source. The pro laundry system not only removes the need for costly detergents, but it can remove any residual chemicals from the clothing and eliminates odors, bacteria, mold, and dirt with ease.
The system delivers multiple advantages, including:
-
It's easy to use.
-
Less wear and tear on clothing and appliances.
-
Fresher-smelling laundry.
-
Reduction or elimination of skin allergies from chemicals.
-
There's no need to buy plastic bottles of detergent or bleach.
Hard Water is a Headache; General Heating & Air Conditioning Can Help!
Hard water can wreak havoc in your home, costing you time and money, and enhancing your system is easy with our streamlined process.
To learn more about our water quality systems, call General Heating & Air Conditioning in Shakopee at 952-445-2820 or connect with us online. We can't wait to help you enjoy the benefits of our water quality systems!
1418